[Basil Brett (Aida)]

((OOC: Pamela could name her next parrot 'Basil'! ))

"Oh! Of course not! Your papa, er, I mean... Mr. Longstaffe..." Basil paused, looking helplessly at one sister, then the other, "Lord Longstaffe?" he went on rather quickly though before his face turn into a radish, "would not want any such vagabonds and the sort near his estate!" What was he doing anyway speaking of gypsies to well-bred ladies!? How many well-bred ladies did he knew who had seen gypsies? How many well-bred ladies did he know at all!? Probably not so many after this encounter, he thought and hit an unfortunate pebble with a melancholic foot.

Basil was not one to lose his spirits for long, however, and they had just turned a corner when he embarked on a new subject, and one he supposed to be perfectly proper: "did you ladies," he felt quit proud for having started the sentence like that, very gentlemanly, "attend the Easter service at St. George? Quite magnificent! I was sitting at the last row, where I met a strange lady, but that's beside the point! All the beautiful lords and ladies made it look like a magnificent painting!"

[Hermione Longstaffe (Rose)]

"Mr. Longstaffe," murmured Hermione helpfully, without interrupting his flow. It was flattering to think that they had been taken for daughters of a peer, though Hermione could not help wondering whether that was more complimentary to them or insulting to his intelligence.

"We did attend the Easter service," she replied after he had changed topic again with lightening speed, "but as we had no acquaintance at the time, we did not linger at the end."

She wondered who the "strange lady" was but did not like to mention it.

((OOC: Feel free to jump in, Brandy! I shall no longer write Pamela!))

[Pamela Longstaffe (Brandy)]

OOC: First Pamela post! Hope I do well!

For goodness sake, this man jabbered on even more than the parrot her brother gave to her. It was sad that it flew away...it was so exotic! Oh, how she wished she had another! Maybe the next time her brother went away on his travels he would bring her back something even more exotic. Her sister more than likely found the gentleman to be pleasing; she just wished for some peace; a more suitable companion, perhaps. His only saving grace was the excessive amount of compliments and flattery he gave to her.

"Yes, the Easter service was quite lovely," Pamela said, and almost groaned as Hermione made it clear they were not from here. Again. "A pity, indeed, that we did not make your acquaintance sooner; we might have lingered for a while longer." She eyed him as he talked about people looking like paintings. How...odd. "Though there were so many people there; I felt as if I might faint! Thankfully, there were plenty of gentlemen that might have come to my rescue..." she glanced at her sister, and giggled. "...of course, if it was all right with my chaperone, my dear sister."

[Basil Brett (Aida)]

"Chaperone?" Basil blinked twice. Of course, he was visited by many thoughts and feelings before he gave voice to his confusion, but none were important enough in comparison to be mentioned: he had found it quite funny imagining such reserved gentlemen as he had seen running to rescue Miss Pamela; felt rather elated that the latter regretted not having met him sooner; thought it unfortunate that the sisters did not know many people in town which meant they could not advertise for him; and felt relieved that their father was not a peer, though he still could be a peer's son? Goodness, these things were too complicated! Maybe because their father was not a peer Miss Longstaffe had to chaperone her sister? No, that didn't make much sense...

"Please forgive me, Miss Longstaffe! I would have never guessed!" He admitted honestly, hoping this additional information did not mean he had to act differently towards the older sister. But how old was she anyway? Would it not be disadvantageous for Miss Pamela that such an agreeable person should be her chaperone?

"But then I'm no good at such things!" Basil continued with a cheerful smile, "just the other night I was going back to the studio, when I saw this chap standing under our neighbour's window in a most suspicious manner! Naturally, I thought he was up to no good, a thief no doubt, I said to myself, and started running towards him and yelling at the top of my voice! As you might suspect, he fled, and I was quite full of myself thinking I'd scared away a thief! But what do you think happened next morning?" At this point, he looked questioningly at each sister, but went on with the story almost immediately: "the neighbour's daughter came barging into the studio, accusing me of scaring away her fiancé! Her fiancé, imagine that!" Basil shook his head and chuckled bashfully.

[Hermione Longstaffe (Rose)]

Plenty of men who might have come to her rescue? What on earth was she talking about? Had Mr. Brett not been walking between them, she would have tried to communicate by glares and eyebrow waggling with her sister but this was impossible. She would have had a good deal to glare about, she thought, as Pamela unconsciously revealed her role to Mr. Brett. No, she had not tried to conceal that she was the chaperone, but she could have wished the discovery to have been postponed. She stifled a sigh. Not that it really signified. Mr. Brett would not be interested in her and really, he was too young anyway.

Fortunately his volubility came in useful for once, changing the topic before she could dwell on it and respond in any way apart from a nod of acknowledgement.

"Goodness!" was her only response to his story. "How unfortunate!" It would have spoiled the romance of it to point out just how improper it was for a lady's fiance to stand under her window and how even more improper of the lady to burst into his studio to complain about it! And yet there was a whimsy about it. It was rather nice to think that such foolish romantics really did take place in real life.

[Pamela Longstaffe (Brandy)]

Mr. Brett did say some rather amusing things. He spoke of the romantic under the window, and she sighed. "It is just like Romeo and Juliet, when he came to her underneath her balcony and declared his love for her. That is so romantic! I daresay, I wish something such as this would happen to me. I'd fancy a gentleman proclaiming his undying love for me." She wasn't aware that her sister was out of sorts at Pamela's declaration, and nor did she care. That was the whole reason Hermione was in London, was it not? To chaperone her? "The young lady was rather impassioned, seeing as she broke into your studio to make her sentiments known. Embarrassing, to be sure, but impassioned."

[Basil Brett (Aida)]

"I wouldn't be so sure, Miss Pamela, that it would be such a good idea," Basil spoke knowingly, "to have someone declare, erm, their interest under one's window." He lowered his voice: "you see, this incident I told you about for example, our landlord's wife found out about it through... well, I had to explain to her why I had been yelling," his ears reddened as he quickly continued: "and I heard her saying to another neighbour, not the barging girl's mother of course, that she did not believe it one bit that the man was her fiance! She said she was sure the man was another one of her beaux and that the girl would bring scandal to her family!"

Shaking his head, Basil let out a sorrow-laden sigh: "people are vicious, Miss Pamela. You should be very wary of what they say!" And turned to the other sister: "is that not so, Miss Longstaffe?"

[Hermione Longstaffe (Rose)]

Hermione was quite prepared to forgive Mr. Brett his volubility for his good sense to correct Pamela's notions on the romance of the situation and the excuse he gave her to give some advice.

She leaned round him a little, feeling that his words had given her permission to do so and said smiling, "Mr. Brett is perfectly right. Now that we are in London, Pamela, we must be very careful who we trust. This must be a cautionary tale!"

They had now walked quite far from the entrance to the dark walks and Hermione was becoming aware of the distance they had come, and the necessity to return in time to get seats before the concert.

She slowed walking. "Perhaps we might return now, Mr. Brett? My sister and I are keen to see the concert."